© 1987 Eileen Laurence
© 1987 The Urantia Book Fellowship (formerly Urantia Brotherhood)
In my experience with interfaith dialogue, I have learned to share definitions of terms before discussing ideas and will be doing so this morning. However, I am going to adopt the “Jewish” way and take my title “Our Relationship with God” from the end and work towards the beginning.
When I refer to God, using the single word, it is as my father and your father. We share the same father and therefore, a common parentage, The God to whom I refer created our local universe. I relate to him through my knowledge of Jesus’ life as learned from song texts, the Bible, and The URANTIA Book. Through my awareness of the workings of the Spirit of Truth in my life and in the lives of other believers, I am working towards the realization of the evolving God the Supreme, By striving to strengthen the connection between my errant human self and the divine God presence within me which The URANTIA Book calls “the Thought Adjuster,” I am reaching toward an understanding of the Universal Father.
“With” seems to be a simple word. Webster defines it as, “a being together, in the company of.” The writer of the old Gospel text, “And He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own,” brought this truth to many rural church singers.
“Relationship”,., a connection, a being related. Our relationship with our Creator has been made possible by the spirit of Truth given to all at Pentecost.
There is an additional element of “relationship” for us to consider today. … the fact that “This bestowal of the Son’s spirit [the Spirit of Truth] effectively prepared all normal men’s minds for the subsequent universal bestowal of the Father’s spirit (the Adjuster) upon all mankind.” (UB 194:2.3)
We all share the manifestations of the Spirit of Truth from God our Father and the Indwelling Adjuster from our Universal Father. That certainly makes us kinfolk, related beings. But now we come to that little word which begins my title, “our” O U R…a double possessive. Does it mean you and me… the people in this room? Does it mean the readership of The URANTIA Book? Does it mean English-speaking, French-speaking, Spanish-speaking people? Jesus said, “…my mission is to live a life in this generation and for all generations.”. (UB 132:6.3) Taking a cue from the spirit of The URANTIA Book, my definition of “our” is inclusive of all human beings, male/female, regardless of race, religion, color or creed; and I am reminded of Jesus’ new commandment, “That you love one another even as I have loved you. And by this will all men know that you are my disciples if you thus love one another.” (UB 180:1.1)
“Love”, … now there’s an interesting word to define. Webster doesn’t do too badly, but I think the paper on God the Supreme says it better, “All true love is from God, and man receives the divine affection as he himself bestows this love upon his fellows. … The Father’s love can become real to mortal man only by passing through that man’s personality as he in turn bestows this love upon his fellows. The great circuit of love is from the Father, through sons to brothers, and hence to the Supreme.” (UB 117:6.10)
We have been mandated by Jesus to love each other “as I have loved you.” What does that mean to us and how can we show that love to each other? It is a question worth thinking and praying about, for, as the renowned Roman Catholic theologian, Dr. Raymond Brown, states, “… as long as Christian love is in the world, the world is still encountering Jesus,”; or, as Jesus said to Ganid, “… the revelations of God flash upon the earth in the lives of the men who reveal God to their fellows.” (UB 132:7.6) Remember one of the manifestations of the Spirit of Truth is that Jesus “… now again lives [his life] anew and afresh in the individual believer of each passing generation of the spirit — filled sons of God.” (UB 194:2.6) Our lives are reflections of God to our sisters and brothers. God the Father is an ”I“ activity. God the Supreme is an “Our” activity. “God the Father can be found by any individual who has attained the divine level of Godlikeness, but God the Supreme will never be personally discovered by any one creature until that far distant time when, through the universal attainment of perfection, all creatures will simultaneously find him.” (UB 117:6.16) Obviously, we must help each other find God and manifest his love in our lives.
Now let’s take my title in order, from beginning to end, and review our thoughts. “Our” is inclusive, invoking us to love one another and show Jesus love for us by the way we live together, by the way the God in each of us reaches out to the God in the other members of our family. Thus we form relationships, connections that link us with God.
As Rabbi Chayim has said: “When we go our separate ways, we may go astray; let us join hands and look for the way together.” Let us hold hands and together find our way home to our Father. Let us reach up and in to God, for “When man goes in partnership with God, great things may, and do, happen.” (UB 132:7.9)
Eileen Laurence
Armonk, New York